By "sort of", I mean it's February and can you really call February "spring"? Only if you're a baseball fan. Spring Training Fever has descended upon The Nation as our boys report to camp at Fort Myers ready for a brand spankin' new season. For the sake of cutting right to the chase, here's the lowdown on the 2009 Boston Red Sox:
Pitchers
Josh Beckett: Becks sporting a much healthier bod this time around and he's determined to be the Beckett of 2007, the fearsome 20-game winner who just missed winning the Cy.
Jon Lester: He's the early bird, arriving at camp first, a week early and ready to follow up a breakout 2008 season with an even better 2009. If he can even duplicate his 2008 numbers, he will be well on his way to the cream of the AL pitching crop.
Daisuke Matsuzaka: Dice is training for the WBC in Japan and will not be at the Red Sox camp. Hopefully, pitching in the WBC won't wear him out down the stretch. If he can do what he did last season, but cut down a little on the walks and high pitch counts, 2009 should be another great year for him.
Tim Wakefield: Wake's back again with his enigmatic knuckler. The big question is how will his endurance hold out as the season goes on. The back and shoulder tend to bark loudly from late August on, but with the team's pitching depth, they can afford to rest Wake when needed.
Brad Penny: One of the team's new West Coast imports, ex-Dodger Brad Penny is one of the low risk/high potential reward signings Theo made this off-season. If all goes well, he's a very solid #4 starter who is as good as many team's #1's and #2's.
John Smoltz: Smoltzy is one of those pitchers who seems to defy Father Time. He's 42 and if his rehab goes well and his history of bouncing back from injury holds up, he will be a fierce weapon down the stretch and into October.
Clay Buchholz: He threw a no-no his second major league start, but couldn't recapture the magic in '08. Things seemed to go from bad to worse for him last season and it really messed with his head. He turned to the team sports shrink in the off-season to work out some of those mental kinks and he's looking for a chance to get back on track this year.
Michael Bowden: He made his major league debut last summer and he's coming to camp with the goal of making a strong case for being the first one called up if a starter goes down.
Ramon Ramirez: The Sox traded Coco to the Royals for this guy, who put up some pretty nice numbers last year and now has the chance to play for a contender. He could be the eighth inning guy the team has been looking for.
Takashi Saito: He came over from L.A. with his former teammate Brad Penny in another low risk/high potential reward move and he could also be that eighth inning guy if he bounces back from his shoulder injury.
Justin Masterson: He's one of last season's rookie success stories, having succeeded both as a starter and a reliever. With the abundance of potential starters, the young bald one is most likely staying in the 'pen and he's another contender for the eighth inning role.
Javier Lopez: The lefty specialist of the Boston bullpen is back for another season. If both Ramirez and Saito keep putting up the low ERAs, Lopez and Oki could be competing for who will be facing the lefties.
Hideki Okajima: Like Javy, Oki is back for a third season with the Sox. Oki ran into some roadblocks last season, especially with inherited runners. He is still a very talented and solid reliever and if he's on his game, he may be the first choice out of the 'pen to pitch to lefties in the later innings.
Position Players
Jason Varitek: The Captain is back and he's hoping to lift some of those numbers out of the cellar after a rough season both on the field and off. He's still one of the most knowledgeable and prepared catchers in the game and it would be nice if he could be around to groom his successor, whomever that may be.
Josh Bard: Not to be confused with pitching prospect Daniel Bard and [hopefully] not to be confused with the guy they had to dump in a hurry three years ago because he couldn't handle the knuckler. Bard had a successful run with the Padres and he may see more playing time with the Sox this time around, to give Tek more rest and to face the toughest righties.
Kevin Youkilis: YOUUUUK had quite a season last year offensively, banging 29 homers and knocking in 115. His defense was also stellar. Was last year a career year or is Youk entering his prime and we can expect more of the same this year?
Dustin Pedroia: MVPedey has been unstoppable for two straight seasons. In '07 he was named AL Rookie of the Year and he followed that up last season with the AL MVP. What he lacks in stature, he makes up in swagger. But the swagger is hard-earned, having had to deal with naysayers his whole life who told them he would never make it as a major leaguer. He certainly showed them!
Julio Lugo: Dude's been pumping some IRON! Lugo is prepared to fight for the starting shortstop job, having gained 10 lbs of muscle in the off-season. Let's hope he has spent some time in the batting cage and in fielding practice as well.
Jed Lowrie: Most likely the reason there is 10 more pounds of Lugo, Jed Lowrie did an excellent job at short in the second half of last season. He tailed off at the end, but now we know he was battling a wrist injury at the time. It will be interesting to see who occupies the space between second and third on Opening Day.
Mike Lowell: He's had a challenging off-season, recovering from major hip surgery and having his name listed in trade rumors had the Sox landed Teixeira. His recovery is progressing well, however, and there's an excellent chance he'll be ready to play on Opening Day.
JD Drew: So what IS the deal with his back? There have been differing reports coming out of training camp about the status of his stiff back and how much he'll be able to play this season.
Jacoby Ellsbury: There's a little bit more of Jacoby this year too. He's been working out at API with Pedey, which bodes well for his performance this season. Could this translate to more pop in his bat? Possibly, but we'll take more consistency first and higher OBP first. If he gets on base, he gives the pitchers fits and opens the door for the offense to pounce.
Jason Bay: The Green Monster's new best friend (although you won't see him venturing INTO it during a coaching visit to the mound) is Jason Bay. He's in the final year of his contract and we're hoping he continues producing like he did when he came to the Sox in August of last year.
David Ortiz: Is the "pop" back in Big Papi's bat? He has come to camp in great shape and that's a good sign for a bounceback year. What kind of pitches will he see? Well, if Youk and Bay continue to mash as they did last year, he should be seeing some pretty good ones. Consistent production in the #4 hole will be key to keeping Papi's intentional walks to a minimum.
Mark Kotsay: JD's brother in back woes will be out for the first month or so of the season after going under the knife last month. This could give minor leaguers like Bailey or even Lars Anderson a chance to keep his bench spot warm until he's ready to come back. Someone's gotta back up first.
Rocco Baldelli: The Woonsocket Rocket is now where he belongs, in a Red Sox uni. His diagnosis has been changed to the less serious and more treatable channelopathy. How much he'll be able to play remains to be seen, but when he can play, that bat has some pop!
In a nutshell, the pitching's deep and could prove to be best in the league this year. The offense is not quite as fearsome as it once was and might be a concern. The team does have the means to land a bat via trade during the season if need be.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
